Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned For Danger
by AnimeLuvr96
Summary: Join Athena and Chase once again as they solve the mystery of who's sending death threats to soap opera star, Rick Arlen.
1. Chapter 1: New Case in New York

(Athena's POV)

This. Freaking. Sucks! Only two days after Chase and I got done with that murder case in Florida, Aunt Eloise sends us to help out this soap opera star, Mattie Jensen. Light of our Love, I think it's called, I know Bess watches it a lot.

Anyway, right now Chase and I are on a plane to New York, Chase was sleeping while I was writing a letter to Nancy.

Dear Nance,

You'll never guess who Chase and I are going to visit in New York. Mattie Jensen, Bess's favorite soap star from Light of our Love. Mattie is renting Aunt Eloise's apartment in New York and after hearing about our last case Mattie called to invite us up here.

According to Mattie, Rick Arlen is getting death threats but won't go to the police. Stupid of him, I know. Now she want's Chase and I to do some investigation work. I wonder who wants to kill him though. Last I checked everyone loved that guy. I have a feeling that there may be more to this case then meets the eye.

Call you soon,

Love Athena.

As soon as I was done with the letter a woman's voice came over the P.A.

"Attention passengers we are about to descend for New York, please fasten your seat belts."

I put the letter in my satchel and started shaking Chase by his shoulder.

"Chase? Chase, wake up! We're about to land." I said.

He groaned and opened his eyes. I couldn't help but smile at his sleeping face and give him a quick kiss.

"Come on sleepy head." I said.

"I'm up babe. I'm up." He said.

As soon as the plane landed we got our luggage and hailed a taxi. First we stopped by the post office so I could mail my letter, then we went to Aunt Eloise's apartment.

I knocked on the door as Chase carried out bags, "Ms. Jensen, it's Athena and Chase!"

"Come on in Athena, the doors open!" Mattie called from inside.

Chase and I walked in, put our bags by the stairs and we went to the living room where we saw Mattie sitting on a chair, probably going over her lines.

She saw us and grinned as we walked in.

"Welcome to New York you two! I'm really glad you could come out here on such short notice." She said.

"It's always nice to come here once in a while. Especially now that we're living with a big soap opera star. Must be pretty exciting work." I said.

"Believe me, it's not all that exciting, with 5 a.m. shoots, a million lines to learn, people all up tight and yelling. And now Rick's getting these death threats!" Mattie said.

"Speaking of which, tell us about these death threats." Chase said.

"Well, for the past month, my co-star, Rick Arlen, has been getting these awful death threats. At first, we all shrugged it off- you get the occasional 'odd' letter in this business. But, then they started to get…weird." Mattie said.

"Weird how?" I asked.

"They're totally bizarre. Not only did he get letters, but somebody sent him a box of poisoned chocolates, a broken watch- and then there's that whole thing with the teleprompter." Mattie said.

"What happened with the teleprompter?" Chase asked.

"Well, I was reading the teleprompter during a scene with Rick. All of a sudden, my lines read, 'You're going to die a horrible death, Rick'. At the time, we all thought it was some sick joke, but nobody admitted to doing it." Mattie said.

"And the letters?" I asked.

"Well, the first one had letters cut out of magazines, you know, like a ransom note? They were all signed by someone named B.T. Kaisuur. Somehow, the news leaked out, and the press totally jumped on them. Then they started getting ugly and twisted." Mattie said.

"What about the chocolates?" I asked.

"Rick's a major chocoholic; his fans and friends are always sending him boxes of candy. But these chocolates were so nasty, Rick spit them out. I've _never_ seen Rick say no to chocolate before." Mattie said.

"Did Rick ever go to the police?" Chase asked.

"No, and that's the problem. No one is taking any of this seriously, especially Rick. He thinks nothing will ever hurt him. Athena, Chase, I'm running late; I need to get to the studio. Hey, why don't you two come over and visit? I'll leave visitor's passes for you two at the security desk." Mattie got up and was about to leave but she stopped and looked at us again, "Oh, before I forget, here's a copy of the house keys. I'm _always_ losing my keys, so I have got plenty of copies. I'll write the studio's address on your map. Just catch a taxicab outside and show him the map. They'll know how to get there."

She gave me the keys and wrote the address on a map Chase had before leaving.

"So, what first babe?" Chase asked.

"Let's take the bags up to our room then go to the studio and talk to Rick and anyone else there." I said.

He nodded, "Alright."


	2. Chapter 2: Falling Light

(Athena's POV)

We got our bags and went upstairs to put them in our room. Since Aunt Eloise's apartment only has two bedrooms, Chase and I are sharing one. At first I thought it would be awkward for us but then I realized that we fell asleep together before so this wouldn't be any different.

Once we got outside we hailed a taxi and told him where to go. When we got to the studio we went to the security desk.

"Can I help you?" The security cop, Ralph, asked.

"Yeah, Mattie Jensen left visitor's passes for us. It should be listed under Chase Nickerson and Athena Drew." Chase said.

Ralph handed us each a pass, "Here you are. You'll need to sign for it. You need to come to this desk every time you enter so I can log you in." Chase and I signed the clipboard, "Have a nice day."

"You too." I said as Chase and I walked further in the building.

"Let's start by talking to Mattie again." Chase said.

I nodded and we searched for Mattie's dressing room. When we found it, I knocked.

"It's open!" Mattie said.

Chase opened the door and we walked in.

"Hey Athena, Chase- glad you can make it! We'll be shooting soon, so I only have a couple of minutes to chat." She said.

"Can you tell us why someone would want to send death threats to Rick?" Chase asked.

"He's talented, handsome, and rich. Some people would hate him just for that. But Rick wouldn't hurt a fly- I have no idea why someone's trying to scare him with these threats." Mattie said.

"How long have you two been a couple?" I asked.

"You mean off-screen or on-screen? You see, Rick and I dated when we were with the touring company for 'Romeo and Juliet'." Mattie said.

"Do you think an ex of yours could be jealous enough to do this to Rick?" I asked.

"Actually, Rick and I are no longer dating. But, come to think of it, I do know someone who could be jealous enough of Rick to do something like this: Yuri Danner, Rick's twin brother!" Mattie laughed, "I'm sorry you two. It's been a running joke around here. You see, Rick's character has an evil twin, Yuri, and everyone's been saying that it's him who's causing all this trouble. But seriously, I have no idea who could be behind this. Oh, look at the time- I've got to get to makeup. Hey, why don't you two come down to the set in a few minutes; I'll be shooting a scene with Rick. In the meantime, make yourselves at home." She said before leaving.

"Might as well see if we can find anything." I said.

Chase nodded and we started looking around. Unfortunately we couldn't find much, just fan letters, a magazine about Rick leaving the show, a medallion, and a tube of lipstick that looks like it's been rubbed down.

"I don't think there's anything in here Athena, let's just head to the shooting." Chase said.

I nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

We left Mattie's room and went to the studio doors, Chase swiped his card in the scanner and we walked in just as they started shooting.

"Places everyone! Are we locked in?" A woman asked.

"Yes Miss Weiss. We're ready to shoot." Someone said.

"Have we blocked this already?" Mattie asked Rick.

"Yes, I think." Rick said.

"Quite on the set! Is the floor ready?" Miss Weiss asked.

"Check!"

"Audio?"

"Check. Roll tape."

"Stand by camera one!"

"Stand by music."

"Stand by camera one."

Then Mattie and Rick started acting.

"Rory, I have to talk to you." Mattie said.

"I don't want to see you Serena." Rick said.

"No Rory, don't go! I love you!" Mattie said.

I felt Chase nudge me, I looked at him and he pointed to the lights. I looked to see the one above Rick moving a little.

"I don't want to see you Serena." Rick said.

Suddenly the light fell, Mattie screamed while Rick managed to get out of the way.

"Sheesh! What was that? I could've been killed! Get my agent on the phone, now!" Rick said.

Chase and I stayed behind as everyone else left so we can look around the set.

"Hey look, I found a broken clamp to the lights." Chase said picking up the pieces.

"That means someone rigged that light to fall on Rick." I looked around a little more, "And this clock is missing a hand."

"Whoa. Hey babe, looks like someone was messing with the teleprompter again." Chase said.

I turned around to see him standing by the teleprompter and walked over. He was right, after Mattie's last set of lines it read:

You're time it running out, Rick Arlen. You'd better kiss your career and your life good-bye because the end is near.

"Freaky. Whoever this guy is, he really has it out for Rick." I said.

"Maybe we should talk to the director, I think her name's Lillian Weiss." Chase suggested.

"Yeah, maybe she can shed some light." I said.

We left the set and started walking around, unfortunately we couldn't seem to find her room.

"Hey Athena, there's a prop room over there, maybe someone can tell us where Lillian's room is." Chase said.

We walked over to the Prop room and I knocked.

"It's open!" An old woman's voice said.

"Hello there-Oh are you a visitor? According to the polices memo dated July 14, 1954, no one is permitted in the prop room, except for those people permitted in the prop room. You may want to talk to the director, Lillian Weiss, if you want to become permitted. She likes to do all of the hiring around here. Good day, dears." The old woman said.

"Well that got us nowhere." I said as we left the prop room.

"Not necessarily." Chase said.

I looked at him to see him pointing to Lillian's room.

"Oh, well while were here we might as well see about job so we can get more access around here." I said as we walked up to Lillian's door.

Chase knocked on the door and a stern looking woman answered.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're friends of Mattie's, and we're-" Lillian cut me off.

"Do I look like a tour guide? Look, the set's closed to visitors. I'll need to take your passes away. But if it's any consolation, I'll be more than happy to show you the door." She said before taking our passes and slamming the door in our faces.

"Well gee, no need to be a bitch about it." I said as we walked away from her door.

Chase put an arm around me, "It's alright babe. Look, let's talk to Mattie and tell her about this."

I sighed, "Alright."


	3. Chapter 3: Talking to Rick

We went to Mattie's room and I knocked on the door.

"It's open." Mattie said and Chase opened the door.

"Oh Athena, Chase, this is horrible! There's no way that could've been an accident- I think it's another attempt to get Rick! The timing's just too weird- all of these threats and now he's almost killed on stage! I'm too upset to deal with this- I gotta get outta here- I need some space. We'll talk later." Mattie said before rushing out of the room.

"Really!? She couldn't wait two minutes?" I asked.

"Hey, hey, it's alright babe we'll just talk to her back at the apartment." Chase said squeezing my shoulder.

I sighed, "Alright, let's just talk to Rick."

We left Mattie's room and went to Rick's. Chase knocked on the door.

"Entre Vou." Rick said.

I opened the door and we walked in. Rick spotted me and he smiled, completely ignoring Chase.

"Hello, gorgeous! Where have you been all my life?" He asked.

"Hiding from you." I said narrowing my eyes.

"Ouch. You're a feisty one aren't you?" Rick asked.

I rolled my eyes, "You know, for a guy who just barely escaped a terrible accident, you're in an awfully good mood."

"Of course, of course I am! I was lucky. If you're going to be in an accident, that's the best way to be- don't you agree? But then, I've always been a lucky guy; I just met you Ms. Drew." Rick said.

I felt Chase squeezing my shoulder and sighed mentally. It's Daryl Grey all over again.

"Do you really think it was an accident?" I asked ignoring the comment.

"I see Mattie's been talking to you about me. Of course it was just an accident. Things like this just happen." Rick said.

"Can you think of anyone with a motive to send you these death threats?" Chase asked. I could tell he was trying to hold back a glare.

"I can think of millions: all of those jealous husbands and boyfriends of women who send me marriage proposals, cookies and other…'notes d'amour'." Rick said.

"I highly doubt poisoned chocolates are a note d'amour." I said.

"Poisoned chocolates? Oh dear, Mattie's really gone over the top with this. They were just a bad batch, that's all. If you dare me, I'll eat one. But if we're going to play that game, I'd prefer another dare. So, how about it Athena: truth or dare?" Rick asked.

I swear if it weren't for Chase having his arm around me he would've punched Rick by now.

I sighed, "Fine, dare."

"Okay, while I go to makeup, stay here, get all cozy and…stay beautiful." Rick said with a wink before leaving.

"That's it! Forget the guy sending him the threats! I'm gonna kill him myself!" Chase said moving towards the door.

I hugged him from behind, holding him back, "Whoa! Calm down tiger! Don't take what he said seriously. You know I only love you."

He sighed and relaxed slightly, I let go of him and he turned to look at me, "I love you too, Athena. That's why I hate it when guys flirt with you."

"I don't enjoy it either, Chase. Now, let's just forget about what happened and look around." I said then kissed him.

"You're right, let's get started." He said.

While looking around we found the chocolates, a hate poem, dead roses, the death threats, the broken watch and a scratched up head shot. But I've noticed that some of the letters were typed with a dropped y.

"I think that's it babe." Chase said.

"Yeah, let's head back to the apartment and talk to Mattie." I said.

We left the studio, took a taxi back to the apartment and walked in.

"Mattie, we need to talk." I said as we walked into the living room.

"Hi, you two. I'm sorry for skipping out on you like that, I guess I'm not a very good hostess. It's just that this whole thing with Rick really shook me up." Mattie said.

"It's fine but now we have another problem. We ran into Lillian and she kicked us out, said that the studio was closed off to visitors." Chase said.

"Yeah, Lillian's pretty cranky these days. Wait a minute- I've got an idea on how you can get back into the studio! My agent can get you two jobs as extras, so you could get on the set. You don't have to do anything; they just need to have people standing by." Mattie said.

"That's great Mattie! Who's your agent?" I asked.

"Dwayne Powers. We've been friends for years. I'll give Dwayne a call first thing tomorrow. Just stop by there in the morning. I'll tell him you're old family friends who's decided to try out acting as a career." Lillian said.

"Thanks Mattie! That'll really help." I said.

"No problem. Hey, it's getting late you two should get to bed." Mattie said.

"Right, goodnight." I said.

"Goodnight you two." Mattie said before we left the living room.


	4. Chapter 4: Dwayne Powers & Prop Room

(Next day; Athena's POV)

Chase and I took a taxi to Dwayne's office, when we got there Chase pressed the button to Powers Tower.

"Go away!" A man, who must've been Dwayne, said through the speaker.

Chase pressed the button again.

"Don't you understand?" Dwayne asked.

"Mr. Powers? Mattie Jensen sent us to see you, about a jobs as extras." I said.

"I'm sorry, I'm in suite 101- come in." Dwayne said.

A loud buzz went off and we walked in. We went down a set of stairs and to Dwayne's door, Chase knocked.

"Come in." Dwayne said.

We walked in and sat down in front of Dwayne's desk.

"I apologize for my abrupt greeting. You must understand that if I opened my door to every struggling actor in this town, I'd never be able to get my work done." Dwayne said.

"Well, we just started out in the acting business. I hope our lack of experience won't hurt our chances of getting jobs as extras on Light of our Love." I said.

"Oh, that's okay, Athena. It's Athena…Drew and Chase Nickerson, right? Mattie spoke highly of your abilities, and I am more than happy to give two young actors a chance if I can. Normally, I don't do this, but seeing that you're friends of Mattie's, I could pull some strings for you. You see, Worldwide uses me almost exclusively for hiring their talent. Not only did I provide them with Mattie Jensen, but Rick Arlen, as well." Dwayne said.

"You're Rick Arlen's agent?" Chase asked.

"Yes, I was, but I must confess that the man has no talent. Were it not for his good looks and charm, he'd never have gotten to where he is now. You see, Rick foolishly believes acting is a status symbol not an art form. He's a ladder climber who'll use anyone to crawl his way to the top- a ladder he's sure to fall from one of these days. Well, Athena, Chase, you two must be anxious to start this assignment. I'll call right now and have a pass waiting for you at the reception desk. Now, if you'll please excuse me I must get back to work. It was a pleasure meeting you two. Please call on me for any other needs you may have." Dwayne said.

"Nice meeting you as well." I said before Chase and I left.

"That was easier than I thought." Chase said as we walked to the exit.

"Yeah, he must really trust Mattie." I said.

When we left the building we took a taxi to the studio. We went inside and walked up to the front desk.

"Can I help you?" Ralph asked.

"We've been hired as extra's for the Powers Agency." Chase said.

Ralph gave us passes, "Here you are. You'll need to sign for them." We signed out names, "Thank you and uh, good luck."

We walked further in the building, "Let's see if we can try talking to Lillian again." I said.

"Actually babe, I was thinking we should look around the prop room." Chase said.

"Why?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you never know, there might be something in there that could be useful." Chase said.

"I highly doubt that." I said.

He smirked, "I seemed to recall you saying the same thing in Florida when I was messing with that puzzle box."

I blushed then rolled my eyes, "Fine, fine, we'll check out the prop room."

He wrapped an arm around me as we headed to the prop room, "You're so cute."

I pouted, "Shut up." I said causing him to chuckle.

When we got to the prop room I knocked on the door.

"It's open!" We walked in, "Yes, dears." the woman said.

"We need to get something for Mattie from the prop room." I said.

"I see. Well, I just don't let anyone enter my prop room without showing me that they're clever enough to take on the responsibility. Listen to my riddle, and when you know the correct answer, I'll let you in. When you look at my face it's easy to see, you're looking at you when you're looking at me. What am I?"

"A mirror." Chase said.

"Well that was pretty easy. Let's try another one. I run all day and never walk. I tell you something but I do not talk. What am I?"

"A clock." I said.

"Let's see if you can answer one more. Soft as a petal that falls from a tree, the more I'll dry the wetter I'll be. What am I?"

"A towel." Chase said.

"That's it! I have stumped many people with my riddles, but you are quite the sleuths. You may go and enter the prop room now, while I go and 'unpowder' my nose. Achoo!" she then left the prop room.

"Let's get started." Chase said and we split up.

I started looking through some shelves, the only thing I found that could be remotely useful was an oil can and some pliers.

"Hey babe, found something!" Chase said.

I went over to him to see he was holding a clock hand.

"The missing hand to the clock." I said taking it.

"And once again, I'm right." Chase said causing me to smack his arm.

I went over to the woman's, Millie's, desk and looked through her log book, "Look's some items were taken." I saw some writing sticking out of the corner of the back of the book and lifted the paper. It said: Millie WWB1958.

Wonder what that could be used for.

"Hey Athena, look. This type writer drops it's y just like in the threats Rick got." Chase said.

"Which means someone must've snuck in here to use it. I think this is all we can look at, let's go to Lillian now." I said.

Chase nodded and we left the prop room, we went a little further down the hall way to Lillian's door. I knocked.

"Ah, I see Mattie's friends are now working as extras for us. So, are you trying to get discovered, or are you just hard-up for a job?" Lillian asked.

"We're working with Dwayne Powers' agency. We heard he's a really good agent." Chase said.

"Oh, please. Don't get your hopes up too high. It's not like you're working for Commercial Artists or Edison Talent! We use Dwayne whenever we need someone right away- usually extras or gophers. If we really need talent, we call someone else." Lillian said.

Wow, what a bitch.

"Well, we just thought you'd be interested to know that we found a light clamp on the set. It looked as if it had been sawed off. That was no accident on that set- it was a deliberate attempt on Rick's life." I said.

"Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a little Sherlock Holmes on the set! Look, we didn't hire you to play Junior Detective, so don't be sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, OK?" Lillian said.

"We'll let you get back to your business." Chase said.

"Buh bye." Lillian said before closing her door.

"Cold hearted bitch. Come on, let's see what happens when we put the hand back in the clock." I said.

"Alright." Chase said putting his arm around me.


	5. Chapter 5: Rick's TV Interview

(Athena's POV)

We walked to the set doors and Chase swiped his card causing the doors to open. We walked inside and went to the clock, I took out the clock hand and put it back in the clock so that it read 11:00.

There was a sound of gears turning and we backed up a bit to see a key. Since Chase was taller he grabbed it.

"What do you think it's for?" I asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it goes to that cabinet that's on the other side of the set." Chase said.

"Let's give it a try then." I said.

We went over to the locked, metal cabinet, Chase put the key in and it fit. He opened it revealing a generator of some kind.

"Looks like it needs power." I said.

"Then we'll leave this alone for now. I don't think there's any- Hold on." He said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Looks like there's a ladder that leads up to the lights. Maybe if I can get up there I can see if the person who cut the light left something behind." Chase said.

I smiled, "Great idea! I think this wheel lets the ladder down." Chase tried turning it, but it was stuck, "Hold on, I got an oil can from the prop room." I said taking it out.

I squirt some oil on the wheel and this time when Chase turned it the ladder came down.

"Okay, I'll be back in a sec." he said before he started climbing.

About a minute later he came back down, "Yep, no accident. Whoever cut that light got his shirt ripped. The piece of fabric's still there." He said putting the ladder back up.

"Maybe we can talk to Mattie, see if she has anything to tell us." I said.

"Good idea." He said.

We left the set and went to Mattie's door, Chase knocked.

"It's open!" We walked in, "Hi Athena, Chase- glad to see Dwayne could get you two jobs as extras! Who knows, maybe you'll be the next Serena Livingston, Athena." Mattie said.

"That's very flattering Mattie. But I'm just surprised Dwayne managed to get us jobs so fast." I said.

"Dwayne's a great guy; he gave me a chance when no one in this town would even give me the time of day." Mattie said.

"The guy doesn't seem very fond of Rick though." Chase said.

"Actually, the feeling's mutual. Dwayne was Rick's agent and helped him get the part of Rory Danner. But later on, Rick ditched him to go with a larger agency, I guess to help him get out of his contract here." Mattie said.

"See you later Mattie." I said.

"Break a leg!" Mattie said before we left.

"Nothing there, let's head back to the apartment and decide what to do from there." I said.

"Sure," he wrapped an arm around my waist and we started walking, "and while we're thinking of what to do next, we can cuddle up and watch a movie.

I smiled, "I guess a little break sounds nice."

He smiled back and we left the studio. When we got to the apartment the first thing I noticed was a package on the chair address to me, inside was a video tape and a note.

**Athena,**

**I hope you and Chase are enjoying your trip to New York. I thought you might find this tape of interest to your case. It's a TV interview with Rick Arlen on a soap opera news show. You know, for a young lad, he's quite fetching! Take care and be careful, you two.**

**With Love,**

**Hannah.**

Chase sighed, "So much for relaxing."

I smiled and rubbed his arm, "It's okay. We can try again some other time, but for now let's see what's on the tape."

"Fine." He said.

We went to the living room and I put the tape in the VCR. Chase sat on the chair and I sat on his lap as the tape started up.

"We're here on the set of Worldwide Broadcasting Studios with soap heartthrob, Rick Arlen. The studios are abuzz with talk that you may be heading for a career in films. Will Rory Danner be killed off the show?" The reporter asked Rick.

"Rory is a character who is dear to my heart. I'd never put him in a life threatening situation- I'll leave that to the writers!" Rick said.

"Well, how could anyone in their right mind leave such a gorgeous co-star, Mattie Jensen? Is it true that your onstage love affair has led to an offstage romance?" The reporter asked.

"Only my hairdresser knows for sure!" Rick said and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Weren't you seen with that actress, Greta Von Kamloops at Cannes earlier this year? Any chance you may be starring in a film with her in the near future?" The reporter asked.

Rick chuckled, "No, not while I'm with the WWB network."

"Our sources say that you've been a victim of a stalker- is that true?" The reporter asked.

"Well, yes in a sense. I feel like I'm being watched at every moment and always at the same time- weekdays from 2 to 3 on channel 13." Rick said.

"Oh, Rick!" The reporter said before the interview ended.

"God, what a douche." Chase said as I got up to turn the TV off.

"Agreed. I'm gonna give Nancy a call, I promised her I would tell her about the case." I said walking towards the phone.

"Put it on speaker." Chase said following me.

I dialed Nancy's number before putting it on speaker.

"This is Nancy." My older sister said.

"Hey Nance, it's Athena and Chase." I said.

"Athena! I'm so glad to hear from you! I was getting worried." Nancy said.

"Don't worry Nance, we're both fi-" Chase was cut off by another voice.

"Is that Athena and Chase? Quick put them on speaker!"

"Oh yeah, Bess is here. She wants to know what's going on too." Nancy said.

"Hey guys! Tell us everything! Did you get Rick's autograph for me? He's so gorgeous. It must be so exciting to be on the set with all of those stars! George and Nancy filled me in on everything, so tell us who the suspects are. I can't believe someone would do this to Rick." Bess said.

Chase scoffed, "I can." He said causing be to slap his chest.

"Mattie's really nice, but we can't just rule her out." I said.

"Oh my gosh, wouldn't it be weird if Mattie was behind it all? What if Mattie had a secret motive to get rid of Rick, like Marlena on 'Crimson Cove' last year?" Bess asked.

"I doubt that Bess. Real life isn't a soap opera you know." Nancy said.

"So, who are the other suspects?" Bess asked.

"Well, there's this odd woman who's the prop master." Chase said.

"That must be Millie Strathorn. Did you know she owns the entire network and it's worth millions? She's a total cat lover; I heard she treats her cats like royalty." Bess said.

"That was a bit off topic Bess. Anyone other suspects guys?" Nancy asked.

"It could be Rick who's doing this himself." I said.

"No way, Athena! Why would he send death threats to himself? Get real." Bess said.

"It could be a publicity stunt." Chase said.

"They have a point." Nancy said.

"I know Rick has a reputation for being a practical joker, but I'd think he'd get enough publicity by just being cute." Bess said.

I could tell Nancy's rolling her eyes right now, "Anyone else?"

"The producer doesn't like Rick very much, but we haven't exactly met him." Chase said.

"Who's the producer now- is it William Pappas? Worldwide just hired him, like, six months ago to improve their ratings. 'Crimson Cove' is really beating 'Light of our Love'. Who are the other suspects?" Bess asked.

"There's the director Lillian, who's a bit of a bitch." I said.

"Oh, yeah! 'Chatter Magazine' had a whole spread on their break up at some elegant restaurant. She dumped a whole pitcher of water on Rick's head!" Bess said.

"Whoa, back up! They dated?" Chase asked.

"Mmmm hmmm, I think they started dating once he got onto the show. They'd always show up at these Hollywood premieres together." Bess said.

"Okay- we'll be off in a minute! Athena, Chase, we gotta go soon. Who else have you met?" Nancy asked.

"Our agent, Dwayne Powers, is pretty cool, but let's just say he's not one of Rick's number one fans." I said.

"Never heard of him. It's so funny to hear you say 'my agent'. So, how'd you hook up with him?" Bess asked.

"He's Mattie's agent and a friend of hers. He pulled some strings so we could work as extras to continue with our investigation." Chase said.

"Wow, how exciting! So are there any other openings? I'll work for free." Bess said.

"Okay Dad, we'll be right down! We gotta go guys. Call again soon okay? And stay safe." Nancy said.

"We'll try. Bye Nance and say hello to Dad and Hannah for me." I said before I hung up.

"Come on baby girl, let's get to bed." Chase said.

"Yeah, I guess it is getting late." I said before we went upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6: It's a Bomb!

(Athena's POV)

The next day Chase and I went to the studio, after checking in with Ralph we went to Mattie's room.

Chase knocked, "It's open!" We walked in, "Have you guys found anything out yet?" Mattie asked.

"Did Lillian and Rick date after you two broke up?" I asked.

"Yeah- Rick had been after Lillian for a while, pretty much to meet her film friends from out West. I warned her about Rick, but she didn't listen. Now she bears a grudge against me." Mattie said.

"The guy's a player that's for sure. What a loser." Chase said.

"Rick's not like that- at least he wasn't with me. Everyone has this idea that he dumped me, but it wasn't at all like that. He had a lot of trouble dealing with the pressure of his career and a relationship at the same time. We saw it happening and agreed to split up. Rick's a wonderful guy; I have no regrets." Mattie said.

"Well, I guess we'll talk to you later, Mattie." I said.

"Break a leg!" she said before we left.

"Let's talk to Rick." I said.

"I hate that guy." Chase said causing me to chuckle.

"You only hate him cause he flirted with me. Let's go." I said taking his hand.

We walked to Rick's door, I was barely able to touch it when it opened.

"Rick?" I asked.

"Hey pretty boy, you in here?" Chase asked as we walked in.

"Rick's not here but somebody was." I said.

On Rick's mirror 'DIE RICK' was written in what looked like lipstick. Below that was a tape recorder and a piece of paper that read 'Play Me'

Chase and I looked at each other before he pressed the play button. A distorted voice was talking about an explosive device hidden somewhere in the room.

"What?!" I asked.

"Clam down babe. I think the device is in the recorder, I can disarm it but I need a screwdriver and wire cutters." He said.

I quickly got both items out of my bag and handed them to him, "Make it quick, I don't think we have much time."

Chase unscrewed the top of the recorder reveling the bomb with 30 seconds on the clock. Chase quickly cut the yellow wire, then the orange, then red and finally blue disarming the bomb.

"We're good." Chase said.

I let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god. I love solving mysteries but I'm not a fan of dying."

Chase wrapped a comforting arm around me, "You and me both babe."

After some time the police arrived and after a few hours Chase and I were back at the apartment telling Nancy and Ned what happened.

"It was pretty nerve racking." I said.

"And then what happened?" Nancy asked.

"After I shut down the bomb and we got out of there, Athena called the police and we were stuck at the station for hours." Chase said.

"They searched the dressing room and sent the bomb off to the crime lab but they didn't find anything. Oh, and remind us to thank Chief McGinnis when we get back. He vouched for us when we asked for a copy of the tape." I said.

"It sounds like things have gotten way out of control." Ned said.

"Don't worry about it, Ned. Hey, looks like we've got another call. Probably the police. We promise to be careful, alright? Call you later." Chase said.

"Alright." Ned said before hanging up.

I pushed the button for the next call, "Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Ms. Drew and Mr. Nickerson, this is Bill Pappas- the producer for 'Light of our Love'. I just wanted to thank you both for your quick thinking and valiant efforts today. I understand that you've been detained at the police department." He said.

"That's very kind of you Mr. Pappas, but it was nothing really." I said.

"Well, I believe you're both very brave for what you've done. I can't help but wonder, though, what were you two doing in Rick's room." Mr. Pappas said.

"We're investigating the threats against him and were curious as to why his door wasn't locked." Chase said.

"You're investigating the threats? What are you, some kind of reporters?" Mr. Pappas asked.

"No, not at all. Mattie Jensen asked us to look into the threats, since no one's taking them seriously." I said.

"What? Hey, ever since Rick started getting threats, we've taken every measure to insure his safety. We've hired more security after that accident in the studio." Mr. Pappas said.

"Can you answer some questions for us?" I asked.

"Uh, no. I'm very busy at the moment. But seeing what you did today, I guess I owe you one. What do you need to know?" Mr. Pappas asked.

"Is there video surveillance of the dressing room?" Chase asked.

"Ah, we're currently working with the police on that- but there are no security cameras in the dressing room." Mr. Pappas said.

"Can you think of anyone on staff who has skills in explosives or electronics?" I asked.

"We defiantly do not use explosives on our set. We use outside pyro-technicians for location shoots. And of course, all of our technical crew are very knowledgeable about electronics, but I couldn't picture any of them to make a bomb." Mr. Pappas said.

"Are there many temps working at the studio?" Chase asked.

"Yes, but all of our employees, either temps or permanent, are highly qualified and come from the best agencies. We don't hire just anyone and we carefully screen our employees." Mr. Pappas said.

"Would anyone but Rick have keys to his dressing room?" I asked.

"Only Rick and the security personnel- we've already checked into this. Rick is very touchy about his room and won't even let the janitors clean it unless he's there." Mr. Pappas said.

"Is Ralph your only security guy?" Chase asked.

"That's confidential, but rest assured that we hire the best security and Mr. Guardino comes highly recommended- he's my wife's cousin." Mr. Pappas said.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, "Is it possible someone outside the studio did this?"

"That's impossible. The set has been closed down tight since that accident. I even hired extra security. My own mother couldn't have gotten in here." Mr. Pappas said.

"Are there many people who have access to the studio at night?" Chase asked.

"Only our key talent and some of the floor managers have access- and, of course, myself and Lillian. But we've often got projects going on around the clock- post-production work and set design, to name a few." Mr. Pappas said.

"Can we get a list of everyone who's been in the studio at night?" I asked.

"That's confidential." Mr. Pappas said.

"Who's in charge of the teleprompter?" Chase asked.

"Well, in theory, it's the lead script writer's job to manage that part of production; but a lot of the actors, especially Mattie, like to edit their script to add emphasis or direction." Mr. Pappas said.

"So anyone has access to the teleprompter?" I asked.

"We've already looked into that incident with the teleprompter- anyone from the stage hands to myself could have rigged it. Listen, I need to get back to work. Do you need anything else?" Mr. Pappas asked.

"Does the studio have any audio mixing equipment?" Chase asked.

"Of course we do. We have a whole department set up for audio recording, and we also have some mixers in the control room." Mr. Pappas said.

"Any chance we can take a look at them?" I asked.

"We're very busy with production right now and we're no longer conducting tours. If you…Hold on. NO! Get someone else for that; we need to have someone on standby if he decides to leave. Sorry about that you two. Any other questions?" Mr. Pappas asked.

"Who else has access to the staff offices?" Chase asked.

"The usual people: janitors, some assistants, Millie, security. Now, is there anything else you need to ask of me? I'm in a bit of a hurry." Mr. Pappas said.

"No Mr. Pappas, thank you for answering our question. Good bye." I said.

"Yes, well, thanks again for your brave efforts today. Good bye." He said before hanging up.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Chase smiling softly.

"Babe, I know you feel stressed right now, but I think I found a way for us to get into the studio at night." He said.

I raised an eyebrow, "How?"

"He held up a piece of paper, "This was sent to Mattie, says that the side entry code was changed to 3-6-8-9."

I smiled, "You're awesome Chase."

He smirked, "I know. We'll go tonight, but for now let's get a little rest."


End file.
